Chibita
Chibita (チビ太) is a character created by Fujio Akatsuka, debuting in the series Osomatsu-kun and appearing in many other works as a member of Akatsuka's Star System. Initially depicted as an occasional guest character, he soon grew to become a recurring role and eventually displaced the sextuplets in the position of protagonist, as Akatsuka enjoyed coming up with ideas for him. He would star in at least three spin-off series during the first run of the manga; $-chan and Chibita, Chibita Banzai, and Chibita-kun. He would also be the star of particular one-shots over Akatsuka's career, from the 1960s to 1980s. Overview Chibita is a diminutive young boy often cast in the role of an orphan, or a child that freely wanders outside his home. There are instances however where he can be depicted as a small adult, or otherwise put into rather mature positions for a child within the confines of fiction. He is often cheeky and strong-willed, outwitting his enemies and being known to never give up in a fight. This adds to the popular use of him as being an unfortunate little boy picked on by The Sextuplets. His earliest appearances have him nameless or simply nicknamed "Chibi"("shorty") for his height, and other early instances are infamous for him having an ever-changing family setting. In creating the character of Chibita, or rather his basis Kantaro, Akatsuka was inspired by a younger boy nicknamed "John-John" from his childhood days in Japan. This child happened to be the poor son of a carriage driver, and despite his small and weak appearance, was a naughty and daring sort and would cheerfully eat the worms, rats, and pigeon dung that other children would bully him into eating, only stating that they were "Delicious". Akatsuka admired the resilience of John-John, yet also found that he was still a small boy who'd need to be carried by others when tired. So while he was one of those who'd push around John-John, he also admired him greatly as a friend. As Akatsuka relayed in his memoir "There's No Wonderful Business Like That of a Gag!", the memories of John-John became instrumental in developing a "prototype of Chibita" for his manga. Physical Appearance Standing at a very tiny height of only 60cmChibita profile, Koredeiinoda or 80cm, Chibita is often towered over by other child characters. He is bald with a single hair sticking up in the back of his head, and has a large horizontal crease in his scalp. This unusually-shaped head is very durable and hard, able to withstand strong force or being bitten. He has round, wide eyes, a pointed snub nose, and a set of odd "whisker"-like markings on his cheeks often jokingly referred to as a "cheek beard" by fans. In actuality, according to Fujio Pro, these marks are evident of hardened mucus from a runny nose that was wiped, leaving that and a red flush cross the cheeks"What are those things like a mustache on Chibita's cheeks?", Koredeiinoda Official FAQ. Chibita usually wears a shirt with a single button on it, a pair of pants, and simple shoes. The colors of his clothing can vary through official artwork, with the shirt usually being red or a deep orange in modern Fujio Pro graphics but yellow in the Pierrot anime and CR Osomatsu-kun pachinko game. This look was not set from his first cameo, though (see "History"). Personality Chibita is known for his strong will and perseverance, as well as his own thrill and enjoyment of winning in a fight. Although initially more of a picked-on character in his earliest appearances, he would quickly be utilized in more of a trouble-making and independent position until it was decided to have him be the one pushed around by the sextuplets more often to make him more sympathetic and add motive for the pranks he'd pull on them. Usually, he's best set as a kind-hearted little kid who loves animals and insects no matter how big or small, and has a natural companionship with cats and frogs. He will default to playing with either of those if he has no human friends, and finds their company much easier to deal with than the fickle and confusing minds of other people. He will often laugh a "Keke!", and likes to run about singing, as well as carrying a stick of his favorite food oden. Although variations of oden may be shown in the series, the skewer that Chibita often holds is shown to have a piece of konjac on top, a ganmodoki (fried tofu) in the middle, and a narutomaki on the bottom"Please tell me the ingredients in Chibita's oden", Koredeiinoda Official FAQ. Oden is very important to Chibita, as much as cats and frogs are. Sometimes he may be a more instantly devious figure, whether as still a mischievous child or portrayed older for the purpose of a story, like being a landlord or a manipulative feudal lord. In occasions like this, he may be considered a more outright enemy role. Relationships with Other Characters Chibita is most iconically known for his partnership with Iyami, to the point where the two of them began to take more prominent roles in the original Shonen Sunday run. But through his history in the title, he also has other notable bonds. Iyami The two initially are not seen to interact in many stories, with their exploits against the sextuplets often occurring separately. However, "Chibita's Junk Strategy" features the two acting together in a scheme related to the Matsunos' trash. The two would soon become more established as a scam duo, tricking the sextuplets and others and taking advantage of them. Chibita would also sometimes be shown to be Iyami's student or underling, being ruled over by him or being the one who would help him out with his tasks at home. Chibita is often used as the one who will help advertise Iyami's scams, if Iyami doesn't do so himself. Sometimes their desire to scam is out of a shared need of making money and having better lives, Iyami being poor and Chibita being without a home at all. There are times when these two may act as part of a trio; being ninja with Moguramaru in "The Garden Guard Sextuplets", as teachers with Dekapan in "Hustle with a Tutor", or running a restaurant scam with Hatabō in "Iyami in France". Some settings have Iyami acting as a detective against Chibita; "The Ski Lodge is Brutal" where Iyami is actually a criminal posing as an officer investigating claims of child labor, "Why Did We Stay at this Inn" where Iyami investigates a report of scammers at a hotel (but is actually only posing as a detective to get a free room), and both versions of "Chibita the Safe-Cracker" where Iyami tracks down the former criminal Chibita to make sure he'll keep his promise of never opening a safe. Other times, Iyami may be the outright villain against Chibita if not simply a pest, and Chibita will be aligned with another adult like Dekapan or Dayōn. There may also exist a setting where Chibita himself is Iyami's nemesis and terror. The Sextuplets These brothers are often a nuisance to Chibita and make his life hard out of their own amusement and to be petty, however there are other occasions where Chibita will be the one to instigate conflict. Either way, the sextuplets' mistreatment will often spur his need for revenge and to win in a fight against them. Besides harming Chibita, they may also steal or threaten his pets, such as when they abducted his frog or when they killed his mosquito larvae (which he'd planned to use against them). There are occasions when the sextuplets will be presented in a more heroic and kinder role to him, however, or in an otherwise neutral context. But in some stories where they are in outright villain roles, they and their parents will be even crueler than usual and give Chibita a terrible time. Chibita is usually presented as somewhat younger than the sextuplets or at their exact age and grade, but he may alternatively also be their senior and be as old as a university student or even an elderly man ("Old Man Chibita's Story"). Totoko Chibita often has a crush on Totoko, and rivals the sextuplets for trying to get her attention and affection. But there are some situations where this may not be the case, and where he injures her either out of jealousy and to steal her role ("Iyami's Ballet Recital") or as a way to make trouble for the sextuplets and get her mad at them (when he rigs her bike in "I Won't Lose to the Sextuplets!"). There is also one early setting where he is presented as her cousin and wears an unusual school hat that seems to control his temper to make him a "good kid" while wearing it''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 4 chapter 1, "It's All Fine Until You Take Off His Hat" (帽子をとったらはいそれまでよ), eBookJapan.. Totoko leaves the sextuplets unaware of this fact, causing them to experience his wrath- until Osomatsu gets revenge on her by blowing the hat off and letting Chibita beat her up. In the 1980s run, Chibita attempts to go on a date with Totoko but winds up sabotaged by the sextuplets and Iyami goading him to act rudely towards her. He and Totoko manage to get revenge on them in turn. Another notable occasion has him and Iyami transform into copies of Totoko to trick the sextuplets, but they both wind up brutally beaten up by her when she finds out about the prank. Dekapan Dekapan may sometimes act as a surrogate father figure to Chibita, but be rather eccentric and neglectful, seeming to treat his own dog much better. He may also be attentive, but treating the boy as if he were the same as a pet. Other times, Dekapan may be presented as a doctor or other authority figure in relation to him. There are episodes of the 1988 anime adaptation (34, 53) where he will be Chibita's father, and set as a rich businessman who seems to care more about his job and making money. Hatabō Hatabō is often set as an underling to Chibita, either being his friend and tagging along with him in adventures or being pushed around and mistreated by him. He is much less intelligent than Chibita and simple-minded, which works to both his advantage and disadvantage. Like Chibita, Hatabō may be a younger child or depicted as a classmate of the sextuplets. But the story "The Killer Omega Joe" sets him as an adult, and Chibita is one of the enemy mob bosses that he assassinates. Dayōn Dayōn is usually a neutral force in a story with Chibita, being a man of various occupations simply standing by or interacting in the plot. However, there may be an occasion where he is another partner in a scam, where he is a criminal that threatens Chibita and others, or where he is the ultimate hero of the story. Moguramaru This mole-like man can appear as a fellow scam associate of Chibita, he may be a thief that tricks him, or even a mob boss who wants to abduct Chibita. Ultimately, their interactions are minimal. Mojamoja-ojichan A man based off "The Tramp" played by Charlie Chaplin. He is best known for starring as Chibita's mentor figure in "The Downtown Chibita Kid", an homage to the film The Kid. There are times outside this story, published within the same interval, where he will play a similar father figure role to Chibita. Ultimately, he exists only in the late 1960s works by Akatsuka and did not carry over further. Ichiro Another friend of Chibita, and a character originating from Otasuke-kun. His most notable appearance features Chibita tricking him into having his teeth ruined by him, which necessitates him and the sextuplets to seek retaliation. He is usually a bit character visible in the background or a bystander, when not seen with Chibita or among other children. He last appears in -kun in "Iyami's 10 Million Yen" in the Shonen King run, where he is depicted as part of a trio with Chibita and Hatabō. Chikako A young girl (of Ohana-chan, Akko-chan's Got a Secret!, and Otasuke-kun) occasionally linked with Chibita, and who he has feelings for. In one setting, she forces him to find a lost handkerchief with the threat that she won't play with him anymore. This leads to him lying to the sextuplets and claiming that he wants them to act as his big brothers. Another occasion has Chikako rely on him to defend her when the sextuplets become angry at her for tricking them, only for her to manipulate him when he has feelings for her. Other more minor appearances simply show her hanging around Chibita and Hatabō, such as in the Shonen King run. Jajako From Jajako-chan. Chibita has a crush on her when she comes to visit her cousin Hatabō, but finds it difficult to get close to her and finds her distant. However, he manages to get to speak to her when she's ready to go home, and gives her his frog piggy bank, resulting in them becoming good friends. In the 1988 anime, Jajako's story is merged with that of Nanako, and provides a further angle where Chibita tries to give up his love of oden after Jajako rudely refuses his offer of the food and tells him she hates it. In the end when Chibita sees her off, he doesn't manage to give her the piggy bank in time, but sees that her train has stopped at the immediate next station and hears from her that he can give it to her the next day. Nanako From You Love Me-kun. She guest-stars in the story "Does Chibita No Longer Like Oden?", when Chibita momentarily gives up hanging out with frogs due to his crush on her. After she insults his favorite food, Chibita strives to give up his addiction to it to earn her favor, but then learns that she tried and liked it after all, causing him to become frustrated at all his efforts being for nothing. He thus goes back to playing with a frog, having given up trying to understand how fickle girls can be. She is seen once more in "Master Chibita Who Lost Money", as one of many children who gather to receive money from the rich Chibita. $-chan The protagonist of $-chan and Chibita. He is a young boy close in appearance and attitude to The Sextuplets, and may serve as a good friend or rival to Chibita. No matter the situation, the two will wind up teaming up or their paths will cross in some way. While Chibita is free-roaming or an orphan, $-chan has a home but is overlooked or pushed around by his mother and craves adventure. Family and Lookalikes See also: Family Members of Chibita, Lookalikes of Chibita for more in-depth information When not set as an orphan or with his family situation otherwise left unexplained, Chibita may appear with various different parents through specific settings. Even more rare would be instances of him with a sibling. Chibita's design was also influential for being the base for some later characters in Akatsuka's works, although it in itself was an evolution of Kantaro (to the point where Chibita would displace that child in name and star status). While some characters could be thought to be simply Chibita cast in another role, there are others that are clearly separate entities and that he has even met. History Osomatsu-kun (manga) Chibita, then unnamed at the time, made his debut in the second chapter of the series as a young boy that Osomatsu punched. The child went to get his older brother in retaliation to beat up Osomatsu. This setting would also be seen in "Spoil Yourself at the Department Store!", where the sextuplets attempted to hide out in a mall to escape the older brother's wrath''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 1, chapters 2 "We've Made Up Our Minds, Let's Run Away from Home" (あたまをまるめて家出をしよう) and 11 "Spoil Yourself at the Department Store!" (デパートでにげまわれ!), eBookJapan.. At this time, Chibita directly resembled Kantaro and may have in fact been meant to be him (see Trivia). A modification of the character appeared in "It's a Hard Time to Sell Bananas" as a greengrocer couple's young son that Osomatsu pushes around. At this time, the character resembled Sansuke in O-chan's Eleven Friends as well as (the unrelated) Choromatsu from Jinx-kun, bearing a sharper nose and a bowlcut hairstyle. Osomatsu would shave the child's hair however, revealing him to have the same Kantaro-style scalp pattern''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 2 chapter 3, "It's a Hard Time to Sell Bananas" (バナナをうるのはくろうするぜ), eBookJapan.. Through subsequent appearances (save for usage of the character as "Mr. Wakasugi"Osomatsu-kun volume 2, chapter 13 "Go for it, Little Teacher!" (がんばれチビッ子先生), eBookJapan. and "Takeaki Takeyama"Osomatsu-kun volume 3, chapter 5 "Let's Visit Trouble Instead of Papa" (パパのかわりにめんどうみよう), eBookJapan.), the design evolved and became known for being bald but also bearing the sharp nose and cheek lines. His parents and living situation continued to vary depending on the story's needs, although his older brother was long gone. The child could also appear used once as a young girl that would disguise herself as a boy by shaving her head''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 3 chapter 16 "Osomatsu and the 40 Thieves" おそ松と40人の盗賊), eBookJapan., or as an older gangster''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 4, chapter 2 "It's Not Easy to be a Hitchhiker" (ヒッチハイクもらくじゃない), eBookJapan. Though his name appeared as "Chibita" in some 1963 story titles, it would take until the story "One Pleasant Vote for Chibita!" for him to be officially named and set as that by the cast; the original magazine printing of "It's All Fine Until You Take Off His Hat" had him set with the nickname "Kan-chan" (implying a Kantaro connection) but this was altered in the tankobon reprints. By the time of the story "Chibita the Police Officer", he began to appear with his favorite oden in his hand. Through 1964, he would also be linked with Iyami as a duo that would scam the sextuplets and make trouble for them, along with being portrayed as more of the instigator in conflicts and a mischievous type. But by 1965, the setting of Chibita being a bullied young boy came into play, with him portrayed as being an animal lover who the sextuplets would upset by killing his mosquito larvae or stealing his frog. Though on other occasions, he could still be set as the one starting trouble and he could also be shown to have the sextuplets acting as minions ("Returned to the New School Term from France") or even casually getting along with Osomatsu. In the ensuing years and the creation of the 1966 anime, Iyami and Chibita continued to be established as the main foils for the sextuplets and taking on more major and sympathetic roles in their own stories, with Chibita headlining memorable tales such as "The Life of Chibita's Flower" and "The Downtown Chibita Kid". Other than the one-shot which launched off the Shonen King run, a remake of the 1965 "Chibita the Safe-Cracker", this character was utilized less in comparison to Iyami in that period but still had presence (when compared to the sextuplets who were nearly always absent). He would be portrayed as a young child still closely associated with Iyami, but could also occasionally be an adult as he was in certain Shonen Sunday settings. In the final run of the manga which was published in BomBom and TV Magazine, Chibita's role as an innocent and put-upon young boy was fully solidified, with him always living in the pipes and being bothered by the sextuplets. In fitting with the more chaotic nature of the run, he and Iyami would commit some unreasonable acts in turn such as getting Dekapan to transform them into copies of Totoko to sully her image. Appearances in other works See also: Akatsuka's Star System * Akko-chan's Got a Secret! * Leave it to Chota * Nonsensical NO.1 * Songo-kun * Otasuke-kun * Ken-chan * Gyahaha, the Three Musketeers! * Akatsuka-kun Can Do Anything * Chibita Banzai * Meanness Contest * The Genius Bakabon * The Genius Bakabon's Old Man * Extraordinary Ataro * Chibita-kun * Chibita-kun: The Story of the Warm-up Family * Chibita's Momimomi Story * Chibita's New Year * Fujio Akatsuka's Manga Academy * Gag + Gag * There's no Wonderful Business like that of a Gag! * Inspector Oni * I'll Strike Back * Cat's Eye News * Oh! Great Jailbreak * Introduction to Manga * Unkor Wat (as "Bichida") * Nyarome's World Expo Surprise Surprise Surprise Guide * Let's La Gon * Nyarome * Hatabō and Wanpei * Wanpei and Mo-chan * The Great Stupid Detective Kogoro Hakuchi * Song and Gag Theatre * King of Gags * Boy Friday * Occhan * Waru Waru World * Nyarome's Fun Cosmology Classroom * Nyarome's Fun Biology Classroom * Nyarome's Fun Sexual Education Classroom * Nyarome's Big Blood Type Studies * Fujio's Waru Waru World * Chibita and Nyarome and Akko-chan * What Will Fujio Akatsuka Do!? * Japan Laughter Story * This Week's Awful Person * Reading Dai-sensei * Yarasete-ojisan * Ramen Great Escape * Kidnapping with Willow * Sheeh! Comeback * MR. Masashi * The Cat House Owner * Hennako-chan (Weekly Josei version) * Collapse of the Sheeh! Religion Appearances in Animation Osomatsu-kun (1966) Furious Ataro (1969) Osomatsu-kun (1988) Heisei Genius Bakabon Rerere's Genius Bakabon Osomatsu-san For additional detailed information, see also the Osomatsu-san wiki Portrayals Voice Acting *Osomatsu-kun (1965 Sonosheets)- Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (Sonosheet 1), Toshiko Fujita (Sonosheet 2) *Osomatsu-kun (1966)- Kazue Tagami (episode 1-25), Yoko Mizugaki (episode 26-38, 40-41, 43, 50), Kazuko Sawada (all other episodes up to finale) *Furious Ataro (1969)- Masako Nozawa *Osomatsu-kun (1988), Heisei Genius Bakabon (cameo on TV screen), CR Osomatsu-kun, Pachislot Osomatsu-kun- Mayumi Tanaka *Rerere's Genius Bakabon- Yukiji *Osomatsu-san- Sachi Kokuryu Live Action Foreign Names Gallery Trivia *Although some might not want to count the young boy from the second chapter or the character with hair as Chibita, an omake illustration to a later story does count them as the same character in showing how his design had quickly evolved''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 4 chapter 12, "I Won't Lose to the Sextuplets!" (六つ子なんかにまけないぞ), eBookJapan.. The Link and Confusion Between "Chibita" and "Kantaro" As mentioned before on this page, Chibita as a character was an evolution of the pre-existing Kantaro from Nama-chan, who had also previously had his own mini-series in Adventure King a year prior to Osomatsu-kun's debut. Although Fujio Pro clarifies and separates the two characters as their own entities, it would appear that for a time the two would be conflated as being the same boy; the initially-nameless young boy could be seen as a continuation of Kantaro (Nama-chan had ultimately ended a month after -kun's launch) and simply him being used further as a star. The naming of him as "Kan-chan" in one setting could indicate such, even as his design changed and evolved. The fact that the evolved design was also used for Kantaro on 1963 kashihon volumes of'' Nama-chan adds even further curiosity to the matter. During -kun's run in 1963 and through the years of 1964-1965, Fujio Akatsuka launched a new ''Kantaro feature for Shonen Book, with Kenichiro Takai assisting on the art duty. Kantaro now had the identical design of "Chibita", and the series had even less to do with Nama-chan ''than ever before; Kantaro seemed to interact with notable -kun characters like Iyami, and enjoyed oden and cats as Chibita did, along with having a wildly fluctuating family setting. To add to the connection, this spinoff was also deemed to be one to -kun rather than ''Nama-chan. It can perhaps be wondered again, if in fact the two were to be conflated as the same character at all but the aforementioned series perhaps wound up with a different title due to an editor; an article in the Toho Publishing reprint of Leave it to Chota referenced a "Chibita-kun" as one of many series that Akatsuka had started, was continuing, or that had wrapped by April 1965 (Other series highlighted aside it were Osomatsu-kun, Otasuke-kun, Otasuke and Chika-chan, Mr. Ken, Leave it to Chota, Akko-chan's Got a Secret!, The Numbness of Scatan, Songo-kun, and Ken-chan). At the time, there was no such Chibita-kun around in any magazine but there was indeed the "Kantaro" series in Shonen Book which would wrap in that month. After that second Kantaro feature ceased, the follow-up feature Akatsuka-kun Can Do Anything (later title: $-chan and Chibita) would seem to go with Chibita as its co-protagonist, as well as the further Chibita-kun series making him the outright star againFujio Akatsuka work list, Koredeiinoda official site (Japanese language). The chapters of the second Kantaro series were subsequently collected into a Chibita-kun tankobon and all re-titled and renamed to be centered around "Chibita"; some would provide the basis for segments in the 1966 -kun anime. All reprints afterwards would utilize the altered "Chibita" versions of the chapters, as well as the Akebono collection of -kun interspersing a few into an early volume. By this time, the character Kantaro was left only to the confines of Nama-chan reprints, with Chibita having long displaced him (and his original Adventure King series having yet to ever see reprint). These days, Fujio Pro attempts to separate them back into identical but different people, pointedly remarking that "Kantaro is a mischievous boy who looks like Chibita, a popular figure of 'Osomatsu-kun'" in his profileKantaro profile, Koredeiinoda official site (Japanese language). The eBookJapan releases of the Chibita-kun and Kantaro series have also properly separated and sorted the chapters (save for one error where a Kantaro chapter still has a notation of "Chibita" at the end), and the description for the series states: “It’s said that I look just like Chibita in Osomatsu-kun, but make no mistake! I’m not Chibita, I’m Kantaro!Kantaro, eBookJapan (Japanese language) References External Links * Chibita profile at Koredeiinoda (Japanese) Category:Characters and Mascots Category:Osomatsu-kun